Accompany Samuel
Stackhouse as he travels overland over 1300 milesfrom Pennsylvania
to Nashville, Tennessee, then down the Natchez Tracethrough Choctaw
Territory to his destination in the Natchez Territory.

The
following information appears on Early SW Mississippi Territory with the
permission of Carolyn F. Castor, 4th Great Grandaughter of Samuel Hastings
Stackhouse, and family. The document is copyright, and may be downloaded
for personal use only. No part of the document may be otherwise reproduced
without prior written consent of Carolyn
F. Castor.

Samuel Hastings Stackhouse
was born 9 Oct 1779 in Bucks Co., PA. He was the son of Hastings
and Margaret (Robins) Stackhouse of Philadelphia and New York. The Stackhouse
family was originally Quaker and was a part of the great migration of William
Penn. Hastings was a Loyalist during the American Revolution and, due to
his war activities, was forced to leave Philadelphia for New York.

Little is known about the early years
of Samuel's life. In one passage of the diary Samuel refers to "my
part of England." Perhaps he received an education in England. The
diary also indicates that he traveled to Natchez at the request of a British
company. However, family records do confirm that Samuel lived with
his family in Savannah, GA, where he met and married Mary Hills, daughter
of Captain Ebenezer and Hannah (Porter) Hills of Boston, MA, and later
Savannah. Samuel and Mary had three children: Mary Hills, Samuel,
and Hastings William.

It is interesting to note that during
the early 1830's there was a migration of Stackhouses to Hinds County (now
Copiah Co.), Mississippi. Cousin William arrived first, immigrating
with his wife, Sarah (Moody) from the Pee Dee River area of South Carolina.
Hastings, Samuel's son, soon followed and married William's daughter, Caroline.
Hastings and William were both plantation owners in the county.

According to a family Bible entry, Samuel
died in New York in his 40's. His place of burial is unknown at this time.
Samuel's wife and daughter followed Hastings to Mississippi and are buried
in the Old Crystal Springs Cemetery with many other members of the Stackhouse
family.

Also mentioned in the diary are Uncle
Amos Stackhouse and his wife, who are the ancestors of President George
Bush.

The diary of Samuel Hastings Stackhouse
was written in 1811 during a business trip. Unfortunately, the diary
was damaged years ago when lent to family members. The opening and closing
pages were partially destroyed and are difficult to read. These pages
are transcribed with ****'s indicating missing portions. The diary was
transcribed 20 years ago by my Grandaunt Janet Block, the wife of Keith
Stackhouse Block. Uncle Keith is the owner of the diary. The bracketed
information is my own addition after studying the transcript with a map
and a book about the Natchez Trace.

Many thanks to Aunt Janet for all her
hard work and to Uncle Keith for allowing this diary to be enjoyed by many.

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